Abhishek Sharma grabbed attention with a brilliant maiden international century in just his second match, during the India–Zimbabwe second T20I in Harare on Sunday, July 7. His sister Komal Sharma captured the scenes at home as he reached his hundred with three consecutive sixes.
After being removed for a duck in his global debut in the series opener, Abhishek recovered by turning into the joint third-quickest Indian to made a T20I century, grabbing just 46 balls. His impressive innings of 100 runs off 47 balls took India to a controlling total of 234/2 in 20 overs, commanding them to a thorough 100-run win.
Abhishek’s sister shared the video of their parents and herself celebrating his century on her social media handle with the caption:
“Dream to reality. The first century celebrations of Abhishek Sharma for India. The most proud moment for us.”
Dream to reality 🥹❤️
The first century celebrations of Abhishek Sharma for India 🇮🇳
The most proud moment for us.#AbhishekSharma #ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/cFqewd1BJO— Dr. Komal Sharma (@KomalSharma_20) July 7, 2024
The 23-year-old achieved his position in the Indian team after an stellar IPL 2024 season, where he contributed 484 runs in 16 matches for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at a strike rate surpassing 204.
Abhishek became the fourth youngest Indian cricketer to achieve a T20I century, ranking behind only Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Suresh Raina in this feat. Meanwhile, Team India recovered from an unexpected loss in the first T20I to equalize the five-match series at one game each.
“I want to give special recognition to the coaches, captains, and team management for maintaining confidence”- Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma conveyed appreciation to the coaches and team management for sustaining his spirit despite his four-ball duck on debut. Recognised for his bold style, the left-hander thrashed an excellent eight sixes throughout his century innings.
During the post-match presentation, Abhishek commented on his innings:
“I felt today it was my day and I made it count. I feel T20 is about momentum and I took it to the end. Special mention to the coaches, captains and the team management to keep confidence. I always feel that as a youngster if it’s your day, you have to express yourself. I always believe in my ability, if it’s in my arc and even if it’s the first ball, I will go after it.”
Abhishek Sharma topped the six-hitting leaderboard in IPL 2024 with 42 sixes, aiding SRH in aggressive starts during the powerplay. His explosive performances contributed significantly to the franchise reaching the final for the first time since 2018.
Abhishek is set to play next in the third T20I at Harare on Wednesday, July 10.
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